PORTLAND, Ore. — The first season of the post-Damian Lillard era in Portland tips off Wednesday, with the Trail Blazers traveling to Los Angeles to take on Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers in the regular-season opener for both teams.
Lillard was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks right before training camp, leaving Portland after 11 seasons. Longtime starting center Jusuf Nurkic is also gone, now the starting center for the Phoenix Suns.
The Blazers have embarked on a rebuild centered around a youthful core of Anfernee Simons (24 years old), new center Deandre Ayton (25), rookie Scoot Henderson (19) and second-year guard Shaedon Sharpe (20), complemented by veterans like Jerami Grant, Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams and Matisse Thybulle. On opening night, the Blazers will have no players over the age of 30 on the roster.
How to watch
Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Clippers
- Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles
- When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. PT
- TV: Root Sports (734 on Xfinity/Comcast; 687 on DirecTV) or Root Sports Plus (1253 on Xfinity/Comcast; 688 on DirecTV)
- Radio: Rip City Radio 620 AM
- Latest line: Clippers by 9, over/under 226
- Injuries: Clippers: Terance Mann (out-ankle), Bones Hyland (day to day-ankle); Trail Blazers: Ish Wainwright (out-calf)
Key players for the Blazers
Anfernee Simons (uniform number 1): With Lillard in Milwaukee, Simons will run the show in Portland and he seems poised for a breakout season. Over the past two seasons, he's upped his game when Lillard was on the bench. Two seasons ago, when Lillard played just 29 games due to injury, Simons averaged 23.4 points and 5.8 assists as a starter. Last season, during an early season stretch when Lillard missed 10 games, Simons averaged 29 points and 5.9 assists while shooting 46.1% from the field and 41.8% from the 3-point line. He was the Blazers' best player in preseason, averaging 19.3 points in 21.3 minutes per game.
Deandre Ayton (2): The top pick in the 2018 draft, Ayton is looking for a fresh start in Portland. It's not that Ayton was a bust in Phoenix. He averaged 16.7 points points and 10.4 rebounds over his first five seasons, including a career high 18 points per game last season. But he wants to be a bigger part of an offense — he was probably the fourth option with the Suns — and may get that opportunity with the Blazers.
Scoot Henderson (00): The third overall pick in this summer's NBA draft, Henderson played the past two seasons with the G League Ignite. He averaged 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists for the Ignite last season. His athleticism, speed and playmaking ability has garnered a lot of attention. He had an up-and-down preseason, averaging 13.5 points and 5.8 assists in 28.3 minutes per game while struggling with efficiency (41.7% from the field and 29.4% from 3), but definitely had some moments that showcased his potential.
Jerami Grant (9): The 29-year-old veteran power forward averaged 20.5 points and 4.5 rebounds last season — his first in Portland — while shooting better than 40% from the 3-point line. He's a solid defensive player, even if he was miscast as a point-of-attack defender last season with the Blazers. He signed a five-year, $160 million contract to stay with Portland this past summer but many pundits have wondered if the Blazers will deal him to a contending team at the trade deadline.
Shaedon Sharpe (17): In his second season with the Blazers, it doesn't look like Sharpe will get the starting nod, but he should have a big-minutes role off the bench. The No. 7 pick in the 2022 draft averaged 9.9 points per game last season. Sharpe started the final 10 games last season when Portland was tanking for draft position and averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He averaged 14 points and 4.5 rebounds in 25.2 minutes during the preseason.
Matisse Thybulle (4): Expected to start at small forward, the Blazers will look to Thybulle for his defense — he's a two-time All-Defensive selection — and hope that his improved shooting from 3 that he displayed last season during his 25 games in Portland continues. A career 33.4% shooter from the 3-point line, Thybulle shot 38.8% for the Blazers after coming to Portland at last season's trade deadline. He kept it up in three preseason games, making 4 of his 9 attempts from 3.
Robert Williams III (44): When healthy, Williams is one of the best defensive players in the NBA, a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He averaged 9.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 0.8 steals the past two seasons in Boston. But health is the key with Williams. He's had numerous injuries and played only 35 games last season. The Blazers hope the big man can stay on the floor and thrive in a backup role behind Ayton and Grant.
Malcolm Brogdon (13): The veteran guard and reigning Sixth Man of the Year will look to mentor Portland's young guards while providing a lot of pop off the bench. Last season, Brogdon averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 67 games, all off the bench, in Boston. The question is how long Brogdon will be in Portland. A lot of contending teams will be interested in trading for him. Many NBA pundits look at Brogdon as a likely trade candidate before the February trade deadline.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.